THE STRAW MAN
UK, 1953, 67 minutes, Black-and-white.
Dermot Walsh, Clifford Evans, Lana Morris, Amy Dalby, Philip Saville.
Directed by Donald Taylor.
A brief drama, a murder mystery, and insurance investigation, a police investigation. A young woman is found murdered on the beach. The main suspect is an American businessman and the death happened in his house. His alibi is that he had drunk too much and had collapsed, unaware of what had happened.
He had made an insurance plan on his life and the company sends one of their best investigators, Clifford Evans, to find out the truth. He teams up with a local private detective, played by Dermot Walsh. There is a focus also on the condemned man’s wife, played by Lana Morris. There is also a distraction by a rather dotty old lady thinking that she was being followed – but this becoming significant in terms of the murderer and she herself being killed.
Halfway through, the solution is revealed and the drama is following the plans and tactics of the murderer and the condemned man’s wife, the contriving of a setup, the insurance man and his perseverance, following leads, following clues – and melodramatic ending.
1. B-budget British supporting feature of the 1950s? Murder mystery? Insurance scam? Investigations?
2. The Brighton setting, the city, the beachfront, homes, restaurants? The musical score?
3. The title, the mystery as to who was the murder? If not the accused, who?
4. The setup, the murdered woman, found on the beach, evidence she was killed in the accused’s house? His drinking, collapse, alibi? His marriage, arrested in France? His lawyer, the interrogations, Howard and his questions? The trial off-screen? His condemnation?
5. The old lady, thinking she was being followed, on the bus? Her confiding in her cousin? The note to Ruth? The interrogation by Mal Ferris? Her being killed? The autopsy? The clue of the carpet? Howard and the discussion with the coroner?
6. Howard, his personality, skills, the interrogations, putting the case together? With the lawyer? Hiring Mal to be his assistant?
7. The twist in the middle, Mal as the murderer, the plan with Ruth, the insurance, the husband and his drinking and collapse, the revelation of the phone call at the restaurant, Howard investigating, finding the source of the call? His confronting Ruth? Her denials?
8. Ruth, upset, communicating with Mal, the plans, her reaction to the death of the old lady, for the plan to kill Howard, phoning him, his being caught? Mal and the setup, the cars, the gun, her change of heart, her fears, shooting Mal? Hoping that that would let her off?
